Preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers simazine as material potentiometric sensor

¹ Chemical Engineering Department, Politeknik Negeri Sriwijaya, 30139 Palembang, Indonesia
² Candidate Doctor of Environmental Science, Universitas Sriwijaya, 30162 Inderalaya, Indonesia
³ Geology Study Program Faculty of Engineering Faculty Universitas Sriwijaya, 30162 Inderalaya, Indonesia
⁴ Chemical Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering Universitas Sriwijaya, 30162 Inderalaya, Indonesia
⁵ Physics Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science Faculty Universitas Sriwijaya, 30162 Inderalaya, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: yohandribow@gmail.com

Abstract

Molecular imprinting technology is a promising technique for creating recognition elements for selected compounds and has been successfully applied for synthesis of environmental pollutants such as simazine. Simazine is a pesticide ingredient that is commonly used in agriculture, which has devastating effects on the environment if used excessively. Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) provides cavities to form a particular space generated by removing the template when the polymer has formed. In this study, MIP using simazine as template had been made by the cooling-heating method and used as a material potentiometric sensor for detecting simazine. A template (simazine) was incorporated into a pre-polymerization solution that contains a methacrylic acid as functional monomer, an ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross linker, and benzoyl peroxide as initiator. Characterization was performed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and fourier transforms infra-red (FTIR). The FTIR spectra of the MIP showed that the peaks of amine group decrease significantly, indicating that the simazine concentration decreases drastically. Characterization by SEM images showing the broadest pore size distribution with the highest number of pores in the MIP prepared under the heating time of 150 min. The MIPs therefore could be applied as a simazine sensor.